Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian blamed the US for the failure of the interim agreement with Tehran, but said diplomatic efforts must continue. He did not specify specific steps to resume talks or say when they might be resumed.
“We were negotiating, and the cowardly Americans ruined everything... I still think we should sit down and finalize it,“ Pezeshkian said in a statement broadcast on Iranian state television.
The Iranian president did not provide details about the content of the interim agreement or the reasons why it was not implemented. His words only make it clear that Tehran continues to see a possibility for a political solution, despite the failure of the negotiations so far.
The nuclear agreement laid the foundation for the dispute
The conflict between the US and Iran is developing on several levels, but Tehran's nuclear program is its main diplomatic center. On July 14, 2015, Iran and six world powers - the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, with the participation of the European Union - concluded the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the JCPOA.
The agreement limited uranium enrichment, stocks of nuclear materials and the number of centrifuges used by Iran. In return, sanctions relief was provided. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in January 2016 that Tehran had fulfilled key nuclear commitments, marking the beginning of the practical implementation of the deal.
US withdrawal led to a new escalation
On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the agreement and the reinstatement of sanctions against Iran. Washington said the agreement did not sufficiently limit Tehran's nuclear program in the long term and did not cover Iran's missile program and support for armed groups in the region.
Iran, for its part, indicated that the US had violated the agreement by abandoning it despite inspections by international inspectors. After that, Tehran gradually began to exceed restrictions on uranium enrichment and inspectors' access to some of its nuclear sites.
In the following years, Washington and Tehran exchanged accusations of violating commitments, attacks on military and commercial sites, as well as actions by Iranian-backed armed groups in the Middle East. Attempts to restore the nuclear agreement did not lead to a final agreement.
Against this background, Pezeshkian's statement leaves open the possibility of new negotiations, but without specifying a specific formula, deadline or mediator. The US side's position on his call has not yet been announced.
Sources: bta.bg